Russ works with nonprofits, donors, and their advisors in structuring charitable contributions of business and real property interests to serve the mutual advantage of all parties to the transaction. Russ has a law degree from St. Louis University and a master's degree in taxation law from Washington University in St. Louis. He also has an undergraduate degree in English from Indiana University, Bloomington and a master's degree in English from the University of Chicago.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Russ is a writer and editor for CharitablePlanning.com, a website that provides daily coverage and in-depth analysis of developments in tax law affecting charitable gift planning.
Before moving to Portland in 2008, Russ practiced law in St. Louis, Missouri for more than twenty years, concentrating in charitable gift planning. He chaired the steering committee of the probate and trust law section of the local bar association in St. Louis and served for years on a legislative drafting subcommittee of the probate and trust law committee of the Missouri bar. As an adjunct member of the faculty at the St. Louis University school of law, he taught courses in future interests and tax-driven estate planning.
Over the years Russ has published a number of articles in law journals and in publications serving the charitable planned giving profession, and he has been a frequent speaker at seminars for lawyers and for charitable gift planners. In 2003 he presented a paper to the annual conference of the National Committee on Planned Giving on the subject of terminating an underproductive charitable remainder trust. More recently he has presented papers to regional planned giving councils on reforming nonqualified split interest trusts and on the transfer tax consequences of setting up a charitable gift annuity for a spouse or child.
A transportational bicyclist and sometime bike mechanic, Russ was a founding board member of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation and chaired its policy and advocacy committee before moving to Portland a few months ago to live car-free.
